goonys evil twin

So? He sucks. He's not Maddux's personal catcher. The pitching coach is much more important in the development of a pitcher than a journeyman catcher is. It doesn't make much sense to waste the millions the Cubs waste on scrub players when they can find much cheaper versions of the same thing, and use the savings on better impact players.

I won't go in to how pathetic I think that comment was. I will say that Kile died from irregularities due to an enlarged heart. Please do not try to imply that his death was caused by drug usage. Despicable. Better read the coroner's report again, which clearly stated different. What the Chicago police found on the bathroom counter wasn't left by the maid as Cards fans keep saying. Thanks for proving my point. Wasn't the substance pot? Are you claiming pot killed him?

Don't they have a pretty solid near-ready guy at AAA? Injured I really don't see why the Pirates would worry about who would play first base. Their season is over. They are 15 under .500, 12.5 out of first, 11 out of the wild card, and worst of all, behind the Marlins. Who cares who plays first? If they can get some quality in return for a guy, they'd be foolish not to deal. Potential financial benefits also help. Let Joe Randa play first. Let Jose Hernandez, he already has a couple outings there this year. Make the Cubs include a body that can fill time there. It doesn't matter. Get a 3-way deal that sends Matt Stairs back over there. He and Burnitz together would be funny.

I think the apathy was pretty high from 99-02. 2003 stirred the pot much more than '98 did. 2003 gave people a sense that they were on the verge of greatness. '98 just reminded people how fun a good team can be. But they knew it wasn't in it for the long haul.

I'm sticking with the two wrongs don't make a right philosophy. You can't justify keeping Baker just because they were foolish enough to extend Hendry. One thing Hendry has shown is a willingness to change approach (on some issues, not all of course). He was all about getting sluggers for a while, and then he went hard after speed, versatility and catchability after Dusty kept asking for that stuff. A new manager might actually ask for baseball players, and Hendry might feel obliged to get some. Plus, if Baker is fired and Hendry is hired, there will be a whole lot of talk about what Hendry has done wrong so far, which could force him to actually hear about how awful his philosophy is. Plus, if he gets to hire a new manager then that will be the end all be all last chance for Hendry. Now he has Baker insulating him from some complaints. Once Baker is gone, that security blanket is gone, and he's susceptible to the slings and arrows that took too long to reach Baker. The media and general public adored Baker from the start and took a while to jump to the other side. The 2003 playoffs gave him a comfort zonoe. Hendry is still talked about like a savvy GM who makes great move after great move. His comfort zone was the Maddux signing and then the Nomar trade. Lee's emergence last year also led people to believe Hendry was a genius. Only now are the questions starting to come out. The philosophy is going to stay the same, at least in the short-term. You might as well improve where you can and get rid of the manager (step 1). Then, maybe MacPhail will wake up and realize Hendry hasn't made the team any better. Or, the Trib will see that Andy & Co. have had over a decade to make things right, and they've failed miserably (from a baseball standpoint).

Well, we are and we aren't. Looking at this message board, it seems as though apathy to this team is at a pre-1998 high. Its not like people stop being Cubs' fans, just that when the team is being run like this, you can reprioritize things for a couple of years. I don't believe the apathy has reached that level. I see a lot of pissed off Cubs fans pretending they don't care about the losses. But this isn't quite like the 90-97 era.

Different managers have different approaches. If their thing works, so be it. Coddle or shred, I don't care, just get results. The problem with Dusty is his approach hasn't worked for years now.

He is out of options, right? They had to outright him to AAA, which I believe forces them to take him off the 40-man and allows other teams to take him.

I like walks and power. Or powerwalks. http://www.browardhealth.org/images/power_walk.jpg

Cubs people don't believe in stats, they know what they know by seeing with their eyes and being around the game. Besides they got yelled at for being a "wait for the homer" team last year, then they took on the speed and ball catching ability approach. They aren't going to change that until next offseason when they try to emulate whoever wins this year's world series.

Reyes is on the 40 man??? Why?? A better question might be, why is Henry Blanco on the roster, and getting paid $1.5 million? He plays once a week and absolutely sucks when he does. You're telling me you can't find a good defensive catcher who can't hit worth a lick for the minimum?

It's funny because I've been an adament Baker basher since before he even signed the contract but I don't think the current problem is due to a lack of focus and motivation. They just aren't good. Then again, I never put much stock into his supposed ability to get the best out of players, so I didn't expect much.

I wouldn't give 3 first rounders for Davis. That's absolutely insane. technically, it would only be 2, this year's first round pick would just be improved. considering our track record with 1st rounders, we're bound to miss on the next two years anyway, why not make this year worth something? especially with a tight-end that gives you so many different options. 2 first rounders for a potentially great player is an easy deal to make. barring injury, vernon davis is a virtual lock to be a perrenial pro-bowler in the NFC. Wow, a little overhype there, no? I heard the same about Bubba Franks. to be fair, bubba franks is a multiple pro-bowler himself. And that shows you something about the quality of TEs in the game, not to mention the supposed "need" to have a great one. Franks isn't any better than most second-tier tight ends. But he was hyped up a lot before being drafted, and averages just about 300 yards per season and 4.5 TDs. And he did it playing in a great offense with the best QB in the game.

The worst thing they could do is finish around .500. That would mean no playoffs, but it could also mean everything will stay the same. If you are going to lose, lose big so change will be made (and you'll get a protected draft pick). But I'd much rather see them win.

His arm was strong early in his career. But at the end, not only did he lack control, but he lost a lot of the velocity. He was lollipopping throws all over the place. And the question was about being inept at throwing the baseball. Not knowing where it will go certainly qualifies.

The only team that was rumored to have any interest in him last time was the Mets, but they didn't even try to talk to him. They saw him get outmanaged by Valentine and knew he was a joke. As for the "he has won" statement, what exactly has he won? He won a ton of regular season games with the most productive player in baseball and a second guy who was an MVP candidate. But he had a losing record in 3 of his first 4 years there. It took him 8 years to win 1 playoff game. It took him 10 years to win one series. He is 3-4 all time in playoff series. The "he's won" arguement doesn't last very long when you look deeper. And aside from that, when you break down his moves, they just look awful.

Yes, he was crap in 2003. The team won in spite of him. He's never been the right man for this job.

As long as the MacPhail, Hendry and Hughes triumverate is able to make most personel decisions, this organization will never be fully fixed, or revitalized. They were able to bring the team to the level where success was expected, thanks guys, but they haven't brought the team to the next level, and it's highly doubtful they can. Getting rid of Dusty and the coaches could be nice, if they replace them properly, but if the organizational philosophy stays the same, it won't help much.

Alou and Sosa were pretty bad.

He is well respected in baseball. But he's also laughed at by some. There is a pretty significant crowd that sees past the myth.

Valentine can manage circles around Baker, and he's done it before (the 2000 playoff series between the Mets and Giants was a classic example of just how poor a strategist Baker is).

The guy from the Sun Times wrote: http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-cubnt06.html I hate the notion that because there have been obstacles this year you automatically say he's done a good job. The team is playing like crap, and most Baker critics base their criticism on years of watching the guy, not just a couple weeks at the beginning of the season. Baker was the wrong guy at the wrong time when he was brought in, and he's the wrong guy now. But I doubt Hendry sees that.

Wood, and the very slow momentum behind the Dusty/Fired story is about it. That the the next inevitable personel move, whether it's a big trade, minor trade, or another callup of a utility man. I am also looking forward to the off-day on May 15. That should be cool.

He'd have to waive his NTC right? You think he wants to move around at this point in his career? I wasn't aware he has a NTC. My bad. He doesn't have one. My bad. I thought he had one, but this said otherwise: Greg Maddux p 3 years/$24M (2004-06) 04:$6M, 05:$9M, 06:$9M club may void 2006 if Maddux does not post 400 IP 04-05 signed as a free agent 2/04 http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/chicago-cubs_112114177768677294.html

I don't get it :( At first I thought he meant that since Speier is considered somewhat of an outsider in the Cubs coaching ranks, and a potential candidate for the interim job if Baker is canned, that he's lonely with no friends in the current regime. But then I figured it had to do with his job, 3rd base coach, the guy who stands closest to any Cubs baserunners that actually reach 3rd base.